First try

[TimmyT]

I am completely new to wine making, my only experience with it is that I really enjoy homemade fruit wines.

Are there any specific fruits that are better to start with? I was thinking of making blackberry or green apple first as they are my favorite. I picked up the master vintner kit from northern along with the harvest kit so as soon as it arrives I think I'll have everything needed to start.

 

[danr]

welcome to this wonderfully rewarding hobby.go with what interests you-both the blackberry and apple sound good to me!
perhaps do both and try blending them!I also recommend dragons blood-mmm.

 

[dralarms]

Welcome to WInemakingtalk.com.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, that’s why we are all here, to learn from each other.

A simple kit is a good place to start.

But be forewarned, if you get those car boys wet they have a habit of multiplying.

 

[Jal5]

Welcome. Lots of good folks here to help you along. Ask questions. Go to the thread on dragons blood which is a fruit wine made from frozen fruits in your grocery store. Really good and doesn’t need hardly any aging!
Joe

 

[Donatelo]

Often, the first wine ever tried is a "Welch's concord grape" wine. It is by far the easiest and most enlightening recipe. You can make a one gallon brew and be tasting a drinkable wine within a month, although all wines are better aged.


Welch's Grape Juice Wine 3

This is an easy recipe that turns out well, at about 14% alcohol and is full bodied.

Welch’s bottled grape juice. Added into a one-gallon jug:

96 oz of Welch’s concord grape juice.
2 cup sugar
2 tsp. acid blend(optional)
1 tsp pectic enzyme(optional)
1 tsp. yeast nutrient(optional)
1 packet of EC-1118 yeast
1 campden tablet ( crushed)
1/2 tsp. potassium sorbate

Add Welch’s concord grape juice to one-gallon bottle. Add remaining ingredients (I do recommend adding the optional ingredients if you have them. If not, Ok) except yeast. Take the Specific Gravity and record it. Cover with napkin fastened with rubber band and set aside 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast and place an airlock. When active fermentation slows down (about 5 days), fill remainder of gallon jug with water, stir and fit an airlock. When clear, add crushed campden tablet and ½ tsp. potassium sorbate, rack into afresh jug, leaving the gross lees and top off with juice (apple or grape works), refit airlock. After additional 30 days, sweeten if desired, then rack into bottles, avoiding disturbance of any lees. Discard the lees. Makes five .750-liter bottles of decent red table wine.

I have tried this recipe and it does turn out nice.

 

[TimmyT]

Welcome to WInemakingtalk.com.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, that’s why we are all here, to learn from each other.

A simple kit is a good place to start.

But be forewarned, if you get those car boys wet they have a habit of multiplying.

LOL! I planned on that so I'm starting with 3.

 

[TimmyT]

Often, the first wine ever tried is a "Welch's concord grape" wine. It is by far the easiest and most enlightening recipe. You can make a one gallon brew and be tasting a drinkable wine within a month, although all wines are better aged.


Welch's Grape Juice Wine 3

This is an easy recipe that turns out well, at about 14% alcohol and is full bodied.

Welch’s bottled grape juice. Added into a one-gallon jug:

96 oz of Welch’s concord grape juice.
2 cup sugar
2 tsp. acid blend(optional)
1 tsp pectic enzyme(optional)
1 tsp. yeast nutrient(optional)
1 packet of EC-1118 yeast
1 campden tablet ( crushed)
1/2 tsp. potassium sorbate

Add Welch’s concord grape juice to one-gallon bottle. Add remaining ingredients (I do recommend adding the optional ingredients if you have them. If not, Ok) except yeast. Take the Specific Gravity and record it. Cover with napkin fastened with rubber band and set aside 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast and place an airlock. When active fermentation slows down (about 5 days), fill remainder of gallon jug with water, stir and fit an airlock. When clear, add crushed campden tablet and ½ tsp. potassium sorbate, rack into afresh jug, leaving the gross lees and top off with juice (apple or grape works), refit airlock. After additional 30 days, sweeten if desired, then rack into bottles, avoiding disturbance of any lees. Discard the lees. Makes five .750-liter bottles of decent red table wine.

I have tried this recipe and it does turn out nice.

I probably should do this just to have something to drink while waiting on the big batches haha. Thank you.

 

[TimmyT]

Welcome. Lots of good folks here to help you along. Ask questions. Go to the thread on dragons blood which is a fruit wine made from frozen fruits in your grocery store. Really good and doesn’t need hardly any aging!
Joe

I was reading it last night actually and I think i might try it.

 

[TimmyT]

welcome to this wonderfully rewarding hobby.go with what interests you-both the blackberry and apple sound good to me!
perhaps do both and try blending them!I also recommend dragons blood-mmm.

I really wanted to try blackberry first, I'm from South Louisiana homemade blackberry wine is in just about every one's cabinet down here I figured I'd have to give it a shot.

 

[Arne]

Go for it. I have made a couple of blackberry wines. Wish we had them growing around here. it is really good stuff. Arne.

 

[Scooter68]

Agree with Blackberry as a starter wine.
For batch number one I'd start out with about 6-7 lbs of Blackberries per gallon aim for an ABV of around 12 - 13% and enjoy. Blackberry wine should clear fast and with reasonable care should be enjoyable to drink after about 9-12 months.

For a second batch of blackberry - If you want to have some fun, punch the ABV up to somewhere above 15%, Back-Sweetening it well and you can have an awesome dessert wine that will kick butt. (Only serve small glasses though unless you are a more serious drinker.)

Remember that with fruit wines it often takes a little back-sweetening to bring back the flavor. If you use wild berries I think the flavor will be much better than with those big plumb - water bloated grocery store blackberries.

 

[Arne]

When you put them in the primary, put them in some kind of a bag. Big paint strainer bag from one of the big box stores, new panty hose from the dollar store or some other kind of a mesh bag. Makes itmuch easier to remove when the ferment is finishing up and you want to rack it to the carboy. Arne.

 

[wrongway]

TimmyT Welcome!!
I also am a beginner. First batch was Apple from Frozen Concentrate. Second was Pineapple and now fermenting Blackberry. Cant tell ya yet what any of them taste like as there still aging!! I learned one thing, In this hobby you need a lot of patience! GOOD LUCK in all!!

 

[Arne]

TimmyT Welcome!!
I also am a beginner. First batch was Apple from Frozen Concentrate. Second was Pineapple and now fermenting Blackberry. Cant tell ya yet what any of them taste like as there still aging!! I learned one thing, In this hobby you need a lot of patience! GOOD LUCK in all!!

Why not taste them as you go? I always want to know how they taste and you can tell how the wine is coming along b y how it tastes. Arne.

 

[RussG]

First off, welcome to wine making. There are a lot of options here. I started with peach and watermelon. Then tried cherries, strawberries, dragon wine (raided the frozen fruit section at the store) and eventually did my first grape wine (a field blend) last year. Find a mixture that sounds good and go with it. If you don't like how turns out, figure out what you don't like, ask how to correct it and do it again.

 

[wrongway]

Why not taste them as you go? I always want to know how they taste and you can tell how the wine is coming along b y how it tastes. Arne.

Arne Take it with a grain of salt!

 

[RussG]

Taste as you go but keep in mind that the wine is changing as time goes on. Sugars are getting turned to alcohol, flavors will change as residual matter settles at the bottom of the fermenter. My first wine was destined for the sink drain until about 5-6 months when it became pretty awesome.

 

[wrongway]

Taste as you go but keep in mind that the wine is changing as time goes on. Sugars are getting turned to alcohol, flavors will change as residual matter settles at the bottom of the fermenter. My first wine was destined for the sink drain until about 5-6 months when it became pretty awesome.

Exactly, That is why I said that I did not know what my wine taste like!
It will be changing until the day I pop the cork!! Cant hardly wait!

 

[TimmyT]

Agree with Blackberry as a starter wine.
For batch number one I'd start out with about 6-7 lbs of Blackberries per gallon aim for an ABV of around 12 - 13% and enjoy. Blackberry wine should clear fast and with reasonable care should be enjoyable to drink after about 9-12 months.

For a second batch of blackberry - If you want to have some fun, punch the ABV up to somewhere above 15%, Back-Sweetening it well and you can have an awesome dessert wine that will kick butt. (Only serve small glasses though unless you are a more serious drinker.)

Remember that with fruit wines it often takes a little back-sweetening to bring back the flavor. If you use wild berries I think the flavor will be much better than with those big plumb - water bloated grocery store blackberries.

I wish i had the time to pick that many blackberries they grow literally everywhere down here.

 

[TimmyT]

When you put them in the primary, put them in some kind of a bag. Big paint strainer bag from one of the big box stores, new panty hose from the dollar store or some other kind of a mesh bag. Makes itmuch easier to remove when the ferment is finishing up and you want to rack it to the carboy. Arne.

Already got the panty hose haha. Should be starting first batch Thursday night. Will post pics.